[Rhutobello]

Just a thought I will make forward.

How to help our "beginners"

I have been with you for almost 6 months now. With severeal occations a "beginner" or "novice" attend an ongoing table, and this resoult in many "partner" leaving
because they refuse to play with them. Other play, but leave after a few games. I am not better then the rest, allthough I try for a few, and then leave with a smile:)

Many times beginners come into bad contracts,or destroy good ones, and instead of taking this as a learningprosess they leave and makes oponents and partners angry for that too, so it is a bad circle.

Why is so few willing to help out?
I think many don't like to "spend" their IMP*S , or whatever on this "teachingprosess.
We all have our self pride to make it as best we can, even if we can't do anything with those points, we collect, afterward:)

I suggest that you on each table makes the option "the helper" so if I sits X and a beginner sits in on Z, and I accsept this, I can have the option to push "helper" before the deal. Now evrey game after this will be credit the "helper" link (just as another player) (P and o get their point as usal)This way "bad" games will not affect  the status of the helper, and I think (or hope) that we all will get, or give, a more plesant meeting with our "beginners", and they a better approch to the game:)

If the helper link was active in a room, I think another great option would have been" Discuss the play before next deal?" Y/N.

In order to help out the beginners to find posetive people to play with I suggest that you in our profile makes a "X" box. If we feel for it, we mark this one, then a icon(hand, smile or..) comes on our profile (just as the star) and beginner can ask us with more confident.

Hope something was useful:)

[JRG]

I don't think we need to be singled out with special recognition for helping beginners/novices.

I am quite willing to play with a beginner or novice (though I find it can be quite hard rather than quite easy!). But...

I need to know in advance what the player's level is and that they want to play for the learning experience. Also, we need to find opposition that do not mind playing against us and, preferably, will not give gratuitous advice, however accurate and well-meant. That is the job of the "mentor" - the mentor may not be expert and will make mistakes, but hopefully will provide a useful learning experience for the beginner/novice.

I suspect that the best thing would be to set up a "Teaching Table". I think it might also be nice if the "mentor" could chat privately with partner. Yes, I know that one would have to trust the mentor not to cheat; but, the whole purpose (hopefully) of the mentor is to teach, not cheat. The reason for the private chat is to avoid embarassing the mentor's partner -- some people simply find the public learning experience just a little too public.

[JRG]

Oh, I forgot.

I like your idea of being able to check something in one's profile that says you are willing to play with novices/beginners (I guess we could add a line to our profile as well).

[Rhutobello]

Agree with you JG, that teaching tables is great, and that much can be done there:)

But as we all know, school is nice and give us some basic directions, but you need real life to learn the trade, so also with bridge.

Let me put this stright forward at once, I don't think this is a great problem since we have friend list, the abillity to make notes and so on, but I think more on new members and their approch to the BBO exspirience, when they don't have such list. If they have bad luck, they might vanish.

The reason for me to suggest this, is because I know it hurts when someone yell at you because he/she don't think you are what he/she want you to be.(often they are bad themself, and need a p to lift them:)) ( I think many of the real good players have the relax feeling, that allow them to make a good tutor, and they will never yell or leave in anger, because they know they can their trade!)

So only take my post as a "thought in the wind", most of the time there are relaxed and fun brigde, and as my friend list grow my days on BBO is something to look forward too:)

(you don't need the helper link, I think the abillity to block your score, will make the same relax feeling, just look for the popularity of the hand viewer, most people don't like red figures:))
and since you must decide to block your score before playing, there is no one that can use it as a "helper" to get rid of bad score.

And if he think that this beginner or whatever is so good, that he want to play for real, then he just resets before next deal. (and then the big bummer comes:))

For the need to know a players level, so is that a tricky one:) I have playd ageinst beginners, who makes better card play then some with expert in their profile:)
I have just promoted myself from beginner to int..., but many times I think I better go back down:) I think the only way to learn is to play..read..play..read..:)